Iteamwork.Com, Is a Potentially Valuable

¶ … iteamwork.com, is a potentially valuable resource for project managers and any team leader. For free, users can register a team project and each member of the team can log in independently, set up their own timetables and schedules, communicate with team members and leaders, post memos, and receive e-mail notifications. New projects are created simply by entering the project title, and the projected date of completion. Projects can remain dormant until the team manager re-activates it using the Web site. The team manager must be the person who first enters the project, and after that the manager is the only member of the group who can assign tasks to other members. However, other team members can create tasks for themselves. For example, if Josey were assigned the task of writing an article for the local paper, she could assign herself tasks such as "interview John by Tuesday," or "call publisher." Task descriptions can be supplemented with notes. For instance, Josey might want to indicate that she called John for the interview and left a message with his receptionist. If a task becomes big enough, it can also be instantly converted into a new project.

Features of the software are comprehensive, flexible and easy to use. Expecte completion dates for both tasks and projects can be changed; task assignments can be changed. Tasks can be reassigned to different people. Moreover, the iteamwork.com application presents user information clearly. A person who is a member of five different teams can see all his or her project data from their login page. Members who wish not to register with iteamwork.com do not have to; email notifications can be sent to any member of a team regardless of whether they signed up for the Web site. All team members can see how they are progressing as individuals and as a team. The Web site offers percentage completion views and other ways to view progress. Many team managers will wonder how they got along before this resource was available. Project managers working for larger organizations might want to suggest hosting the software on their company's private servers. Although not free, hosting iteamwork in-house is a more secure means of using the software and makes it easier for those working on a closed network.

Software like iteamwork helps team members take a more active role in their projects. Seeing their names on tasks, having the ability to quickly and easily communicate with team members and leaders, and seeing deadlines in writing motivates people to perform and produce. Tasks can be delegated, tasks can be shared, and tasks can be created by individual team members. The sense of accountability may be greater when using software that displays all team members' tasks and their progress. Users can view the project in terms of tasks or members, making at-a-glance looks at progress easier.

Power is placed in the hands of the project manager, who has access to administrative functions other members do not have. The team manager, the individual who sets up the project on iteamwork, can temporarily transfer the managerial title to another member. Project managers can reassign tasks and perform other functions like delete projects. Tasks can be deleted by the team member who created them but only project managers can delete the projects.

The software does and should have mechanisms in place that prevent unwanted changes to the project, its members, or its dates. Yet the software also increases the egalitarian features of teamwork by allowing all members to participate, ask questions, and make suggestions for improving team efficiency. The software also allows for a high degree of team member independence, especially given that email notifications and personal log-ins allow individuals to pace themselves and keep abreast of their own performance. Team members can work with the virtual group any time, and anywhere, even after work hours.

A iteamwork.com and the iteamwork software were developed several years ago and have undergone numerous upgrades, updates, and revisions. Therefore, users can rely on a tried and tested project. The current GUI and overall "look" is straightforward: not too flashy but not too plain or graphically ugly either. Navigation is relatively easy. The target user groups include mainly project managers, most of whom will be able to get at least some use out of iteamwork.com when creating and managing teams. The bonus of having the software being hosted online is that teams can be comprised with members in different geographic locations. Therefore, iteamwork and iteamwork.com are well-suited for larger organizations with multiple offices or any organization that relies on telecommuters.